720 Ate Rvy’s Star City with John David Salvador

Friday, March 4, 2016

Written by Board Member, Ate Charmain Tan

Today was a very exciting afternoon as we brought 25 kids to Star City. I always love our field trip events. It is an opportunity for children to experience things outside of school and home. Most of these marginalized kids do not get to go out often and see different kinds of places. Today was the birthday celebration of Ate Rvy. As a flight attendant she gets to travel around the world and see all sorts of beautiful places. She wanted to share this exciting experience with the kids of JD Salvador. Before we went in Ate Rvy gave out gifts for the kids. They got Frozen, Spiderman, and Minion backpacks with gifts inside. They also got party hats that they happily wore inside the park.

I personally haven’t been to Star City for a while. I have forgotten how much fun it was to be adventurous once in a while. As they always say, “life is like a roller coaster!” Most of the kids haven’t had the opportunity to try the kinds of rides offered in Star City so they were very eager to try. In addition to the existing rides the park is offering, they opened up an Annex in the outdoor area. It features several new attractions including the Classic Carousel.

The first adventure we got to try was the Telecombat. Here you get to zoom through the universe on space ships that circle, dip, and climb. The kids shouted as the space ships went up and down. As it went around the kids were able to turn the individual ships around. One of the children wanted to have a solo spaceship. It was adorable as he closed his eyes holding tightly on the sides while he tried peeking every so often.

We then got to try the Dragon Express. It is a mini dragon roller coaster that travels through China. It could fit all sizes of the family so we all had fun as we were able to ride with the kids. The U! Happy Events core team partnered and sat together with a kid. We had so much fun as some of us even tried taking selfies while the dragon was moving.

Then we tried the popular ride The Viking. It is the classic swing ride where the huge ship rocks back and forth. They hugged and held on to each other as the ship rocked upwards. As the ship rocked downward the kids shrieked in delight as they waived their hands up in the air.

We also got to try several other attractions like the Happy Swing, a huge swing that rocks back and forth, Jumping Star, this ride bring you all the way to the top, then all of a sudden drops you all the way down, and others. The kids shouted in delight as they felt like their hearts were dropping to the ground.

Some of the kids went on the Giant Star Wheel. it is the third tallest Ferris Wheel in the country where you get to experience the beautiful view of Roxas Boulevard and Manila Bay. The kids were excited in anticipation as they waited for their gondola to reach the top. They were amazed how stunning the view was from high up. It’s not everyday one gets to be at about 205 ft above ground!

The last attraction we got to try was the Classic Carousel. The ride was quickly filled by our kids as most of them wanted to try it. Ate Rvy joined our kids in the carousel. She was able to go around and bonded with some kids as the carousel went around.

As we reached the end of the day we gathered the kids around. They gave us their heartwarming hugs and thank you’s for a great day. They sang Ate Rvy a Happy Birthday song. That day was her actual birthday which made it even more meaningful as she was able to spend it with these delightful children. For Ate Rvy, the best way to make yourself happy is to help others. Lifting other people’s spirits will lift you up too. She further added, “Doing a good deed makes you feel like you have a purpose in the world – a purpose that’s much bigger than yourself. Isn’t that the best feeling ever?”